Search - Dairy Herd

Today’s USDA report is seen as bearish for corn prices, moderately bullish for livestock producers.

South Dakota Extension’s iGrow program has created a free mobile app for livestock producers to use when comparing the cost and nutritional value of feed.

Although the number of derogations continues to climb, it is not nearly as high as once expected.

Wisconsin and Minnesota buy the most insurance policies.

Goal is to seek long-term solutions for state’s struggling dairy industry, with recommendations developed by year’s end.

The dairy industry is experiencing tough times, and efficiency in every area, including staffing, is vital to be able to continue.

It’s up to us to coach our staff to successful decision making and promote an atmosphere that people enjoy and where they feel their job really matters.

We make all the major decisions on a day-to-day basis, but we can’t do it alone. We rely on a team of good employees to help us accomplish our goals.

Thunder clapped and rain fell just before Bionce, Sassy and the rest of Mark Argall’s prize-winning dairy herd went up for auction.Had the storm come a few weeks earlier, and if the drought had eased, it might have saved the cows -- some of which were named with a bit of poetic license (“You can spell names however you want,” he said) for pop-culture divas and celebrities.As it was, however, Argall’s pasture was so dry that his cattle had nothing to eat, and the farmer was losing $75 a day just trying to feed them.Five generations of his family have milked dairy cows in this secluded stretch of Missouri’s Ozark Mountains, but the inch or so of rain that fell on this recent Thursday was too little, too late. Argall -- a 54-year-old with a wiry, broomstick mustache -- had no choice but to sell nearly all of his cows at a livestock auction.

President Barack Obama, campaigning in Iowa Monday, announced $170 million in government meat purchases to help farmers struck by drought, helping to send hog prices to a one-week high.The purchase of as much as $100 million of pork, $50 million of chicken, and $10 million each of lamb and catfish come on top of $30 million in assistance announced last week. Farmers and ranchers are struggling with the worst combination of heat and dryness since the 1950s, the administration said.Obama said he also directed the Defense Department to speed up purchases and hold the meat for later use. The buying will help farmers, and the government will get a better price on products than if they were bought later, he said.